Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh vs Martin Fayulu

Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh was appointed interim Prime Minister of Libya on February 5, 2021, by the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum. He was tasked with leading the country to national elections scheduled for December 2021.

Dbeibeh formed the Government of National Unity (GNU) on March 10, 2021, which was approved by the House of Representatives. This unified the rival eastern and western administrations for the first time since 2014.

The national elections scheduled for December 24, 2021, were postponed indefinitely due to disputes over candidate eligibility and electoral laws. Dbeibeh's government remained in power despite the delay.

Dbeibeh refused to cede power to a rival government appointed by the House of Representatives in February 2022. This led to a political standoff and the emergence of two competing governments in Libya.

Martin Fayulu ran as the joint opposition candidate in the 2018 presidential election, representing the Lamuka coalition. He was widely seen as the main challenger to the ruling party, but official results placed him third, a result he rejected as fraudulent.

Fayulu filed a petition with the Constitutional Court challenging the official results that declared Felix Tshisekedi the winner. The court rejected his petition, and Fayulu called for international sanctions, claiming the election was stolen through a backroom deal.

Martin Fayulu declared himself the legitimate president of the DRC, citing leaked election data that he claimed showed he won. He held a symbolic swearing-in ceremony and continued to dispute Tshisekedi's legitimacy, though he failed to gain international recognition.

Fayulu ran again in the 2023 presidential election as the candidate of the Lamuka coalition. He finished second with about 5% of the vote, according to official results, and again rejected the outcome, alleging widespread irregularities and fraud.